Environmental groups welcome Lula’s reelection but warn Congress could weaken Amazon protections
Environmental and Indigenous groups see a chance to sustain reductions in Amazon deforestation after Lula’s reelection, while warning that Congress could weaken safeguards.
Environmentalists and Indigenous groups welcomed Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection after the October 25 runoff, seeing a chance to continue efforts against illegal Amazon deforestation, the Associated Press reported. They also warned that a Congress resistant to environmental measures could make those efforts harder to sustain.
Lula defeated Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, with 51.78% of the vote against 48.21%, according to AP. The result followed a campaign in which the future of environmental protection was one concern for groups working in the Amazon.
Why environmental groups welcomed Lula’s win
Lula’s government announced the previous week that Amazon deforestation had reached its lowest rate on record, AP reported. The Guardian’s Brazil correspondent, Tom Phillips, separately described a historic fall in deforestation in both the Amazon and the Cerrado savannah. He attributed the reductions to a government push led by former environment minister Marina Silva.
David Lapola, a Brazilian scientist working on an upcoming United Nations climate report, told AP that ‘the Amazon can breathe a sigh of relief’. Scientists debate the point at which the rainforest could shift towards a drier ecosystem, with lasting consequences for biodiversity and the climate.
The response also reflects a comparison with Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency from 2019 to 2022. AP reported that deforestation surged as his administration weakened environmental enforcement agencies and loosened regulations. Flávio Bolsonaro had pledged to pursue policies aligned with his father’s.
How Congress could affect Amazon protections
Brazil’s Climate Observatory, a coalition of 172 organisations, welcomed Lula’s victory but said seven in ten incoming lawmakers opposed the climate and environmental agenda, according to AP. The Guardian cited the coalition’s assessment after the election’s first round that 64 of 81 senators and 345 of 513 lower-house lawmakers were in some way hostile to environmental protection.
The coalition pointed to recent measures weakening pesticide rules, Indigenous land rights and environmental licensing. It urged Lula to broaden his alliances and strengthen ties with Congress. Those calls show why his election win alone does not settle how much protection the government can secure for the forest.
AP reported that Lula had offered few details on forest protection or financing and had called for modernising environmental laws and giving Amazon landowners more decision-making power. Environmentalists warned that those proposals could weaken safeguards and accelerate deforestation; their effect will depend on the measures pursued and approved.
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Sources and context
- Environmentalists celebrate Lula's reelection in Brazil: 'The Amazon can breathe a sigh of relief'Associated Press, republished by PBS NewsHour; reporting by Gabriela Sá Pessoa
- ‘Will Lula’s win end Latin America’s far right turn?’: Our correspondent in Brazil answered your questionsThe Guardian
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
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